This edition of Folk Lines continues to feature our fall series musicians, announces two concert cancellations, and gives notice of our annual general meeting. Please read to the end of this edition to read a tribute to Folk Harbour founder, Earl Meister.
Our fall series, Weekends at the Opera House, is underway!! We have presented three wonderful concerts thus far, with more to come. Unfortunately, we have had some cancellations, too. Details are below.
All concerts will take place at 7:30 pm at the Lunenburg Opera House (290 Lincoln Street); ticket prices and information for buying tickets can be found below.
Jeremy Dutcher
Jeremy Dutcher is an operatic tenor, composer, musicologist, and Polaris Prize winner. A member of the Tobique First Nation in North-West New Brunswick, Jeremy recorded Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa following a research project on archival recordings of traditional Maliseet songs at the Canadian Museum of History.
This video for “Lintuwakon ‘ciw Mehcinutfrom” from CBC music shows how Jeremy beautifully blends ancestral sounds with his own incredible singing and playing.
For his first-ever Folk Harbour performance, Jeremy will be joined by cellist Blanche Israël.
Friday, October 28: Tickets are $55 ($27.50 for those 25 years and younger).
William Prince was a huge hit when he played Weekends at the Opera house last fall; therefore, it is with deep delight that we bring him back again. William is a Juno award-winning musician who has become one of the countries most respected and celebrated songwriters. William was born in Selkirk, Manitoba, was raised in the Peguis First Nation, and now calls Winnipeg home.
Check out William’s video for his song, “The Spark”, which was the winner of the 2020 SOCAN Songwriting Prize and ignited much interest in his music.
Appearing in support of William Prince is Lauren Spear, the sole voice and songwriter behind Montreal’s Le Ren. Raised on rural Bowen Island, BC, her close-to-the-bone, heartbreak folk songs are a reflection of that isolated lifestyle.
Friday, November 4: Tickets are $45 ($22.50 for those 25 years and under).
AHI (pronounced “eye”) is a singer-songwriter from Ontario. He released his debut recording, We Made it Through the Wreckage, in 2016; one year later, he won the Canadian Songwriting Competition in the folk category, as well as the Stingray Rising Star Award at the Folk Music Ontario conference. AHI released In Our Time in 2018, and Prospect in 2021.
This video for AHI’s song, “Until You” shows off his beautiful songwriting and his distinctive, soulful voice.
Friday, November 11: Tickets are $25 ($12.50 for those 25 years and younger).
Grace Petrie is a songwriter, activist and performer from Leicester, UK. In 2010, Grace exploded onto the folk music scene with an appearance at the Glastonbury festival, where she appeared at the invitation of Billy Bragg. She has an extensive discography that dates back to her eponymous debut in 2006.
Batten down the hatches then check out Grace’s waterlogged video for her song, “Storm to Weather”.
Saturday, November 12: Tickets are $25 ($12.50 for those 25 years and younger).
Owen O’Sound Lee is assembling a band to help us celebrate Christmas in style! Owen is a musician, songwriter, vocal arranger, and producer from Toronto, ON, who now calls Nova Scotia home.
We know this will be just the concert to get everyone into the spirit of the season.
Saturday, November 26: Tickets are $25 ($12.50 for those 25 years and younger).
Vocal powerhouse Serena Ryder is touring Canada this fall, and Lunenburg has made the list of stops on this tour. This is a rare opportunity to see this platinum-selling, Juno Award-winning artist in an intimate venue.
Wednesday, November 30: Tickets are $65 ($32.50 for those 25 years and younger).
Individual ticket links are given with performer biographies above. The Ticketpro link for the entire series is here and Ticketpro can be reached at 1-888-311-9090. Tickets are also available at the Folk Harbour office—125 Montague St., Lunenburg, (902) 634-3180.
Ticket prices include taxes and service fees.
All ticket sales are final.
Full refunds will be provided to ticket holders.
We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Canada Council of the Arts, Canadian Heritage, and Music Nova Scotia.
The Annual General Meeting of the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society will take place on Thursday, November 24, at 7:00 pm in Lunenburg (location to be determined). For all those who are interested in the work of the Folk Harbour Society, this is a chance to get informed and see how you can get involved. More details will be provided in the November edition of Folk Lines.
It is with profound sadness that the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society acknowledges the passing of Earl Meister. Earl and his wife, Val (who passed away in 2020), were among the founders of the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival. Earl started out as the co-site director for the Festival and held various roles over the years, including Board secretary and president. During his long involvement with Folk Harbour, Earl showed deep commitment to the organization and was always willing to do whatever had to be done.
In 2003, Earl and Val were both named Lifetime Friends of the Festival.
Fellow Lifetime Friend and Festival favorite Jeff Davis says that Earl was “more than just simply a Board member and Lifetime Friend, he was a tirelessly, highly dedicated, hard-working Great Pal of the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival”; further, Jeff recalled all the time he spent with Val and Earl, his regular billets for most of the history of the Folk Harbour Festival. Jeff says that when the Festival was on the house was full of summer friends, locals, performers, and family.
It’s hard to even articulate what Val and Earl Meister meant to the Folk Harbour Society, but it is easy to say that we owe them a deep debt of gratitude.
A link to Earl’s obituary can be found here.
Folk Harbour
Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization. They are focused on preserving and celebrating the tradition of folk music through educational programs, youth scholarships and showcasing world-class musicians from across Canada, United States and beyond.